Prog 1972 - the defiant ones

[jannerboyuk]

Cover is a bit garish for my tastes

[TordelBack]

Is this what passes for bagging the Prog thread these days? Review, jannerboy, review!

[jannerboyuk]

Haven't read it yet! Well I've read Dredd obviously. Fun but looking for something more substantial next week and Colin MacNeil back on art duty.

[Banners]

Is that the mighty CF on the back page...?

[jannerboyuk]

Read a bit more now.

The order needs another read through from the beginning but love John burns art. Beautiful
Kingdom finished nicely but found it kind of downbeat, real sense of doom for humanity. I can see some kind of canine insect alliance against the ticks with humanity going into extinction.
The future shock was nicely drawn but a slight story, no great twist.
Robusters saved itself in the final story for me, the art just blew me away. Absolutely gorgeous, all nostalgia based but no worse for that. Best part of the prog.

[Bolt-01]

Been a while...

Dredd- (W)Rapped up nicely. Really enjoyed this.
The Order- Really enjoyed this run- I get the feeling Kek-W is just having the most fun writing this.
FutureShock. Nice one, lads. Both of these gents are FQP alumni, so it is with great pleasure I declare this on of the best FS's I've read in a long time.
ABC- I'm enjoying it, but it is taking so long to actually do anything that I keep forgetting what the overarching plot is.
Kingdom- Masterful. I love how Abnett & Elson continually evolve this strip. It really is a sublime body of work.

All praise Tharg!

[Ghost MacRoth]

Cover:  Could have done with more than just the red....but nice linework.

Klegg:  Featuring Moe from the three stooges as Hershey....so glad it's over.

The Order:  Nice, and establishes that next time, we will once again take a leap forward...must try and remember that when the next one starts so I don't end up so confused again!

Ro-Bluster:  You know, with all the complaints of unnecessary levered in swearing...I'm more annoyed at Hammerstein's line on the splash page than anything from 'Realm Of The Damned' due to the way it's just horseshoe'd in there.  The sentence is...exposition! And it doesn't even read well.  While Langley's B&W stuff works well for me, the colour is just so murky and indistinct at times I rather hope someone else does the next book.

Future shock:  Meh.  Both tale and art...just meh.

Kingdom:  I bloody knew them masters was up to summit!

[Richard]

I thought that Future Shock was a great story.

[Steve Green]

Is that the mighty CF on the back page...?

In an unprecedented move the logo is shifted to the bottom of the page next prog...

[Colin YNWA]

I've often commented here that endings can be tricky to master and in Progs like this with 4 series ending, even if they've been really enjoyable up to the conclusion, you can get a bit of a mixed bag. So that being said its to the absolute credit of all concerned that this weeks 2000ad is an absolute unqualified triumph. I doubt I'd find a wrap up Prog as strong as this if I looked.

Dredd finishes with all the good looking cheek the story has had to date. Such a freshing change in tone and a reminder of the range of the series which has for so long been one of its greatest strengths.

The Order wraps up everything is a simplity that defies a story that needs a re-read to get its full range. I've loved this but suspect it will offer so much more next time. It sets itself up beautifully to come back which I sincerly hope it does (come on Tharg you got another regular here surely?). The only concern is quite where this goes to next, we can't  just have another 'putting the band together' story and then go fight the wyrms just in a different time. The next story and the direction it takes will define if we have a story with real legs or not. With this team I remain entirely positive.

ABC Warriors ends with a glorious set up - great stuff and does that trick of making me hanker for more straight away.

Kingdom is pick of the punch though. Doing it all. A great simple conclusion to this story, action, tension, timing. Just brilliant. Then to leaves me hankering for more having moved the series on once again. Pushing the overall series plot forward magnificently. Where of where are we going next, what can we expect. Gene is 'trapped' in space with pups facing a terrible fate down below. Just sublime stuff. Can't wait for this to come back. I say again the definative 2000ad strip of modern times.

So against all this the poor old Future Shock (surely this should have been a Time Twister!) by two new Droids doesn't stand a chance can. Well I'm delighted to say it holds its head up well. For me a nice tight little thrill, didn't see the twist (though  it did leave me kickin' myself for not!) well scripted and just great fun. On top of that some fantastic art to realise it, with pleasent hints of Rian Hughes which is a lovely thing to be able to say. Superb stuff and look forward to seeing both names back in the Prog hopefully.

So yeah hats off all round.Well done Tharg and all the Droids this has been a great run of Progs, one of my favourites for a long time and it all ended so wonderfully well. As is the nature of the beast next weeks line-up doesn't fill me with confidence. But hey if there's one thing you know 2000ad will always be its the final word in surprising delights so lets see what happens.

Supreme Prog.

[Eamonn Clarke]

[Hawkmumbler]

I can't quite work out what that circular thing in the middle is. Quartz eye? Whats that splodgy thing on it? SO MANY QUESTIONS LANGLEY!!!!!!

[IndigoPrime]

Cover is very red.
Dredd: Well, I liked it, and I don't think it outstayed its welcome.
Order: I've no idea what's going on. Needs a re-read.
ABC: Bored now.
Future Shock: Quite nice script and art here. I'd happily read more by the pair. That judge, though...
Kingdom: Wha? Quite the cliffhanger. I hope this goes on for a long time (but with the same creative team).

[Timothy]

How long have there been 8 ABC warriors? I thought Deadlock insisted there should always be 7.

[Leigh S]

Didn't Ro-Jaws tag along after Terri joined the ABC Warriors? So he got booted once a more suitable candidate turned up but was still there for the rest of the story...?

Hammerstein/Deadlock/Mongrol/Blackblood/Joe P/Mek Quake/Ro-Jaws at the start of the Black Hole